Hopes for political reform in China have suffered a setback with the publication of the government's first white paper on democracy - a document that despite its name reaffirmed the Communist party's determination to cling to power and postpone the introduction of elections.

The white paper was issued by the cabinet amid rising tensions in the countryside and calls from western leaders for Beijing to adjust its archaic system of governance so that it keeps pace with the spectacular changes in the economy.

But initial optimism that President Hu Jintao and the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, might be any more willing than their predecessors to implement political reform were dashed by the 12-part document, which defined China as a "democratic dictatorship" in which the Communist party had been chosen by history to play a leading role.

The paper acknowledged that the system is "not yet perfect", highlighting the problems of corruption and the failure sometimes to implement laws and punish lawbreakers.

But it offered no specific policy proposals nor a timetable for change. There was no mention of media freedom, despite the increasingly apparent need for democratic checks and balances on abuse of authority.

Electoral reform was also pushed into the background. Last month Mr Wen told Tony Blair that China was moving to permit township-level elections, which would for the first time allow voters to choose policymakers responsible for budget issues such as education. But there was nothing in the paper to suggest that this would happen soon.

"This is simply a rehash of previous policy statements," said a western political analyst in Beijing, who asked to remain nameless. "It's a declaration that the Communist party intends to stay very firmly in control."

Political and legal reforms have slowed even as the economy surges ahead. New figures yesterday showed that China's gross domestic product grew by 9.4% between January and September.

Rising lifestyle expectations, better public understanding of human rights and the spread of internet and mobile phone technology have fuelled a grassroots movement for bureaucrats to be more accountable for their decisions.

But the Communist party has made social stability its overriding concern, conscious of the chaos that followed political reform in Russia. Critical newspaper editors have been arrested, dissidents are frequently put under house arrest and censorship of the internet has been stepped up.

Local governments, who often face challenges from their residents, appear to have been given a free hand to use extra-legal means to put down disputes.

In one of the highest profile cases an impeachment campaign by residents in Taishi village, Guangdong province, was broken up by hired thugs, who have beaten up residents, civil rights campaigners and journalists. According to a new report on the attacks by the South China Morning Post, one member of almost every household in Taishi was arrested and told they would be imprisoned for at least three years until their families gave up the challenge against the village chief.

The newspaper said the central government had declared Taishi an "important political incident" - making it the same level of concern as the Sars outbreak and the Falun Gong movement.

Chinese policymakers argue that stability is the basis for gradual reform. "We need time," said Wu Jianmin, president of the Foreign Affairs University and a former ambassador. "At some point, things will move on."